Teach Me French
by Pepsa
Summary: Rose's family is vacationing in the beautiful city of Paris. When Rose runs into Scorpius Malfoy, she may find out that in Paris, everything is magical. Just a one shot I thought of. Please R&R.


**Disclaimer: I didn't write Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling did.**

A lovely breeze was blowing as Rose Weasley strolled along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. She was embracing the warm summer sun and the melodic chirps of birds in the bright green trees. In Paris she felt special, like all the good things might happen to her for once. The beautiful French language drifted to her from all corners of the street, and once again, she promised herself she would learn it. It was the language of love, after all. She imagined herself waltzing in the Versailles castle, centuries ago, in a beautiful ball gown, with many handsome men begging her to dance. A smile crept up her face, and she kept up the daydream until she heard her mother call,

"Rose! Darling, it's time to go!"

Rose snapped awake from her daydream and turned on the crowded sidewalk to face her mother. Sending her a small smile, the two then hurried back to where her father and brother were waiting. The small family then left the avenue and found a dark alley. Taking her mother's outstretched arm, the uncomfortable feeling of apparation soon overwhelmed her. After landing in a new alleyway, Rose gazed out into the sun. They had arrived right by the Eiffel Tower.

Immediately, the family began the trek to the tower, and eventually, to the top. Feeling exhausted after taking the stairs, Rose leant on the railing for support. She sighed in dreamy content and stared out over Paris. It truly was the most beautiful city in the world. She didn't know how long she stood there, just admiring everything, when she felt someone's presence at her elbow. Assuming it was Hugo, she asked,

"Isn't it just perfect Hugs?"

But instead of her brother's voice in response, she got a low chuckle. Startled, she turned to look up into the eyes of Scorpius Malfoy.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" she babbled, before she could think of something more intelligent to say. She didn't know why it bothered her that she didn't sound intelligent for _Malfoy_.

"Same as you, I daresay, admiring this perfect city. Did you know it was originally called, "The City of Mud"? It's amazing how something can grow from something so ordinary to something incredible."

Confused by his rambling, and the fact that he was talking to her, she merely nodded and continued her gazing, unable to think of any response. Eventually, he left, leaving her to ponder. Scorpius Malfoy had been her cousin Al's best friend since the day the two of them were sorted into Slytherin together. Rose, being Rose, had been sorted into Ravenclaw. She and Al were still really close, but each had branched off at Hogwarts and formed new friendships. Rose's best friend was now a dark-haired and tan-skinned girl named Ella Goldstein. The two were quite quiet, whereas Al and Scorpius were loud, almost to the point of obnoxious. Al and Scorpius both played on the Slytherin Quidditch team, whereas Rose preferred to stay planted firmly on the ground. The girls liked to delve into their studies and keep up top marks, whereas the boys liked to have fun, constantly. Although, Rose knew, Scorpius had top marks as well. It seemed every girl found Al and Scorpius dreamy, and wanted to date one, or both. Rose had been asked on a date only once, by a creep named Drew Pucey, who was a Slytherin two years older than her. Thankfully he was gone now and she had enjoyed her sixth year in peace. But although Al and Rose talked as often as they could, Rose never got to know Scorpius. The only times she had talked to him were to ask him to pass the butter on the few occasions they had been at the Burrow together over the summer or Christmas break. So the fact that he had just come up and talked to her was strange. In Paris, to say the least. Sighing, Rose then continued to just admire the little people walking along the street below her.

Later that afternoon, Rose and her family decided to go for a light snack before their late evening dinner. They arrived at a boulangerie, where the aroma of fresh-baked baguettes was overwhelming. Sitting at one of the small tables, Rose waited patiently for her family. That was when she noticed him, Scorpius. He was ordering something at the counter closest to her, his parents a little down the way. She heard him speak,

"Je voudrais trois croissants et trois baguettes. Et du beurre, s'il vous plait monsieur."

Rose's eyes widened in shock, Scorpius could speak fluent French, and quite well. She wondered if the shopkeeper even knew he was British and not French. Quickly, before he could notice her gaping like an idiot, she picked up a copy of _Le Parisien_ and opened it, covering her face. She stared at the foreign words until she heard his voice,

"Your newspaper is upside down."

She heard the bell tingle above the shop as he walked out. Putting the newspaper down, she felt her face beginning to flame and cursed her Weasley genes.

As her family strolled along the Seine, Rose sighed in contentment, letting the warm breeze play with her hair and whisper to her. She laughed as a butterfly flitted about her head and chased it merrily all the way to where the sidewalk ended. Deciding her legs were tired, she settled down on her back under a shady tree. Beams of sunlight filtered through, but the trees thick green leaves blocked it just enough. She closed her eyes and soaked in all the sounds around her. She couldn't help but feel perfectly at home here, in this wonderful city. It seemed the place where anything could happen. And although she was going into her seventh year at Hogwarts after the summer, and was therefore very well accustomed to magic, she thought Paris was the most magical place she had ever been too. It was a different kind of magic; not spells and potions and broomsticks, but wonder and joy and life.

Later that night, at the fancy restaurant her family had decided to eat at, Rose announced to her family that she wanted to spend the next day at the Louvre. But it seemed that Hugo had different ideas.

"Come on Rose, we've spent so much time in Muggle Paris and I really wanna see that ancient Quidditch Pitch. All you want to do is be boring and _intellectual. _This is vacation! We're supposed to be having fun!"

"You don't think seeing CLASSIC masterpieces is fun? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Hugo! You may never come here again. And muggles can be just as magnificent as wizards. Our GRANDPARENTS are muggles and I know you love going to their house! How can you want to see a QUIDDITCH PITCH when we have one IN OUR BACKYARD? Do you not appreciate beauty?"

"Rose that is quite enough, you and Hugo just have different interests." Her mother calmly interjected. Fuming, she stood up and walked out of the restaurant to the bench in front of it. The night air was cool to her exposed arms so she pulled her knees up to my chest. The magic seemed ruined for her after Hugo's outburst. She just couldn't believe that Hugo didn't feel the same pull her that she did. Her entire being was captivated by this city.

The restaurant was situated on the river, so she wandered a little closer and sat on a bench that was right along it. At first, she didn't notice the artist painting the nighttime scene. When she looked up, she saw the silver blond hair and tall body. She gasped and turned her head, but curiosity got the better of her. Standing up from the bench, she went to stand just behind Scorpius. He seemed lost in his work, so she took the opportunity to examine it. The colors blended together perfectly, and the lines were perfectly defined. He had really captured the light dancing off the river and the full moon in the dark sky. Taking a deep breath and deciding to take the initiative, she gently said,

"It's really good."

Most people would be startled by her forwardness, but Scorpius merely turned around and smiled crookedly at her, completely unperturbed.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, the colors work brilliantly and it captures the river perfectly."

"It's magical, you know? This city just has something that draws me back to it. It's so busy, yet moments like these give me complete solitude. I could just watch the water go by for the rest of my life."

"There is something magical, isn't there? All my senses seem to be on constant overdrive just trying to take everything in." she replied, the magic coming back to her.

"And the great thing is, every time I come, I discover something new. C'est parfait."

"What does that mean?"

"It's perfect."

"You speak French."

"Yes, my grandmother on my mother's side taught me, she grew up here. Wouldn't that be wonderful, to live here?"

"Yes, but maybe it wouldn't be as magical. Britain certainly isn't magical." It was the first time she had mentioned their home, and she was afraid he would remember that she was the plain Rose Weasley from Ravenclaw. She didn't know why it mattered, she hadn't cared before. But he seemed unfazed.

"True. I might run out of things to paint." Rose giggled a little at that, even though she didn't mean to.

"Do you paint often? I never knew you did…"

"Yeah, but not many people know. My grandmother taught me, the one who spoke French."

"I think it's wonderful. I wish I could paint so well."

"Thanks. You play the piano, though, don't you?"

"Yes," she exclaimed, astonished, "how did you know?" He flashed her that crooked smile again.

"I heard you playing in the music room at Hogwarts once. Your expression was really magnificent."

She blushed at the compliment before she thanked him. Deciding to ask another question and hoping she didn't sound rude, she asked,

"How many times have you been to Paris?"

"Too many to count. More so when my grandmother was alive, she took me all the time, but now not so much, especially with school and everything." he replied.

"So that's why you speak French so well." she mused.

"Oui mademoiselle, j'adore le parler."

"What does that mean?"

"Yes miss, I love to speak it."

She repeated the simple phrase,

"Oui mademoiselle, j'adore le parler."

"Tres bien. Very good."

"How do you say thank you?"

"You really don't know this one? It's merci."

"Oh yeah. I forgot. Merci!" He laughed and it seemed to fill her from the inside out. She quickly snuffed out the feeling and asked another question.

"What was your grandmother's name?"

"Orabelle. It means golden beautiful. Coincidentally, her hair became golden blond. I was meaning to ask you, don't take this the wrong way, but, what are you doing here? Where's your family?"

She sighed and answered his question honestly, after all, he had answered all her questions so far.

"They're eating dinner at that restaurant right up there. I got upset when Hugo wanted to see that ancient Quidditch Pitch instead of the Louvre tomorrow."

"Understandable. The Louvre really is a fascinating place."

"And you are an artist so you probably feel right at home there."

"Definitely. Hey, I've got a grand idea. What if I took you to the Louvre tomorrow and the rest of your family went to the Pitch. I've been there a million times, I know it left and right. And, we both have our wands if something goes seriously wrong. What do you say, Rose?"

When he said her name, she felt her heart melt in her chest and her face lifted into a huge smile.

"That sounds wonderful, let's go ask them right now."

"You know the Mona Lisa, of course. I don't really feel like waiting in line, but if you want to we can."

"I'll pass. There's so much other stuff to see." Rose chattered excitedly. The two had been wandering the Louvre for over an hour now and enjoyed soaking in the masterpieces around them. Rose was captivated by the paintings and sculptures, but also by the way Scorpius' eyes would light up when he liked something, or the way his brow would crinkle when he was studying a painting. She couldn't help but notice the way he smiled at her as they chatted lightly about the art. It was as if they had been friends for years. But, she supposed, he was Al's best friend, he couldn't be all bad.

A couple hours later, their content stroll was interrupted by the sound of Rose's stomach growling loudly. She blushed and once again cursed her Weasley genes.

"Err… I guess it's time for lunch." she mumbled.

"Guess so, there's a wizarding café in here, I really feel like a glass of pumpkin juice, and besides, the line will be much shorter."

The two of them walked to one of the only deserted corridors and Scorpius stopped in front of a painting of a woman from, what looked to Rose, like the Renaissance. Scorpius pulled out his wand and tapped the woman's head. She glared at him, but reluctantly swung open. Inside, was a lovely little café with witches and wizards delightfully munching on croissants, or taking a sip of pumpkin juice. The ceiling overheard reminded Rose of Hogwarts, as it reflected the clear blue sky outside. Windows lined the walls, even though it was in the middle of the Louvre; it was clearly magic. An eccentric waiter approached them and asked, what Rose assumed, how many.

"Deux." she supplied, and the waiter nodded, leading them to a small corner by a window, overlooking the city.

"So you know deux and not merci, interesting." Scorpius commented. Rose shrugged and picked up the menu. Deciding she wanted a croque monsieur, she asked Scorpius,

"How do you say 'I want a croque monsieur'?"

"Je voudrais un croque monsieur." She nodded and repeated it under her breath several times before the waiter arrived at their table. He placed two glasses of pumpkin juice down and then asked them what they wanted. Scorpius ordered and when it was time for Rose, she recited the words Scorpius had taught her perfectly. The waiter smiled and walked away.

"I have a question for you, don't take offense, but…"

"Spit it out, Rose."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She blabbed, she had wanted to ask it since they first met on the Eiffel Tower. The blond pondered the question for a moment before replying,

"Well for one, your Al's favorite cousin, so I know you won't bite. But, there's something different about you Rose Weasley. I've never met anyone like you. You're so smart, yet you're not stuck-up. And I know you have a passion for music and the arts, which I can't seem to find in any other girl at Hogwarts. You are also so calm and sweet to everyone and everything. Yet you're quirky and interesting." his pale cheeks colored slighty at this point; Scorpius Malfoy blushed, at Rose Weasley. She found her gaping mouth turn into a small smile, which Scorpius took as a cue to continue.

"You're like Paris. At first I thought you were ordinary, but now I know you're magnificent, I just had to unlock you myself."

"You really think I'm special?"

"Very special, Rose." she felt her heart swell at his words and she quietly answered,

"Merci. Scorpius." He gave her that crooked smile when she said his name out loud for the first time.

When the food came, the two teenagers forced it quickly down their throats and paid for their individual meals. They left the restaurant, and the Louvre, and Scorpius took Rose's hand, guiding her back to the secluded portion of the river they had been at the night before. He gently pulled her to the ground and they laid back and watched the clouds go by. They passed the time quickly as Scorpius taught Rose some simple French phrases. Soon the sun began to set, and they sat up, Scorpius leaning with his back against the tree. He suddenly pulled Rose against him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as the two gazed at the colors dancing across the river. Scorpius admired the beautiful redhead in his arms and couldn't help but wonder how this had happened. Yes, he thought, Paris truly was magical.

As the sun was just about to sink under the horizon Scorpius turned to Rose, who turned to him at the same time. He leaned his head in towards her, and she gazed into the intense grey eyes. When their lips met, it was like the evening sun beams across the Seine, and the fireworks exploding over the Eiffel Tower. Rose ran her hands through Scorpius' smooth hair and he pulled her closer to him. They deepened the kiss and Rose felt his hands playing with her long curls. After what seemed like hours, the two pulled apart and Scorpius smiled his perfect smile, running his gentle hand across her cheek.

"I've got another phrase for you." he whispered.

"What's that?" she asked in the same quiet voice.

"Je t'aime."

"What does it mean?"

"I love you."

"Mhmm, je t'aime."


End file.
